Hiro Kimura: Trees
Drummer Hiro Kimura’s debut album from 2022 is Trees, a 61-minute modern jazz album recorded with two of his regular rhythm sections. The album was recorded over two days in the studio, the first with Naoko Tanaka on piano and Yuji Ito on bass, and the second with Mamoru Ishida on piano and Keisuke Furuki on bass.
Joining Kimura’s rhythm sections are the front-line members consisting of three horn players who alternate and unite on different tracks. Alto and soprano saxes are played by Akiha Nishiyama and Kohei Ando, and trumpet by Mao Sone, who also switches to piano and Fender Rhodes for two songs.
Most of the songs feature a quartet form with sax, piano, bass, and drums, with Nishiyama and Ando switching off between the two rhythm sections. The two sax players even join up on one song with a burning back-and-forth sax dialogue on the addictively chunky #4 “Updraft”, where the reverse-step riffs and rhythms with the steadily rising notes of melody and improv appear as upward-flowing tendrils of smoke or air.
Along with his crystal clear and clean-cut drumming, this debut from Kimura also showcases to a large degree his writing style with jazz, mainly, but also pop and Brazilian musical influences. There is straight modern jazz composing with personality (#1 “Winter Pillow”, #2, “Groundwater”, #3 “Enrai”, #4 “Updraft”), melancholy infused with folk or ethnic influences (#5 “K’s A Major”, #6 “Gijibato Blues”), and cool-down, laid-back grooves (#8 “Time After Time”, #9 “When It Was New”).
While this is a drummer-led album, Kimura shares the stage generously with all of the members in these trios, quartets, and quintets; his humility extends even to the album credits where his own name is placed last in order. Aside from his locked-in drumming skills, fans of great drummers will also notice several moments on the record when he takes the spotlight. Kimura’s drum solos are featured on track #1 “Winter Pillow” and #4 “Updraft” after the horns and piano finish their solos. In addition, his propulsive percussion intros to #4 “Updraft” and #7 “Overrun” set the mood perfectly and crank up the engines for two of the dynamic highlights on the album as well.
Liner Notes:
(Translated from Hiro Kimura’s original Japanese liner notes.)
First of all, thank you for checking out this album.
A warm welcome to those who may already know my name or the musicians on this album, and also to those who are hearing us for the first time. Also, to any young people who may have discovered this CD on their parent’s bookshelf someday decades in the future.
Because this is instrumental music, you can use your imagination freely however you like with this music. But when it comes to me, I enjoy looking at the descriptions on the package while I’m eating, so here I’ll write down just a bit about the songs.
Winter Pillow
From the bed of a room in the cold of winter, a world of music spreads out. This is what I imagined for this song. I wrote this song for my composition class’s final assignment while studying abroad in Boston, and I’ve been playing it ever since I returned to Japan. Come to think of it, Mao Sone also played on it when we played it for the first time in class.
Groundwater
This has the feeling of melted snow which turns into groundwater and gushes out. The members’ love for jazz also oozes out from their performance.
遠雷 (Enrai, distant thunder)
I wrote this song about one summer’s sudden heavy downpour. Dark clouds appeared in the distance and steadily approached, turning into a violent rain. When they eventually departed, they left a slightly chilly air behind.
Updraft
Since two of Japan’s leading sax players are on this album, we recorded this song for the two horns to show their stuff. The two players intertwine and rise to the top much like the title “Updraft” suggests.
K’s A Major
K stands for bassist Keisuke Furuki. It’s a ballad based on a memorable phrase he often plays.
Kijibato Blues
When I was stuck at home in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic, I kept hearing the sound of Kijibato (Eastern Turtledoves) singing in the neighborhood. Their listless cries created an unsettled feeling and led to this melancholic melody.
Overrun
One day, there was an internet news article that read “○○ Subway Train Overruns Station Platform”. It stopped only a few meters off, and no one was injured, so I was surprised that this made the news. On the other hand, there are big accidents that occur every day during jazz performances (haha). That’s also one of the best parts. Each member overruns.
Time After Time
This is the only standard tune on this album. Some lyrics include “The twilight at one day’s end.” This arrangement somehow conveys that image of a sunset, as the end of the album also approaches.
When It Was New
This song takes the role of the album’s end credits. I hope that the soft reverberations linger for a little while.
June 20, 2021
Hiro Kimura
Trees by Hiro Kimura
Akiha Nakashima - alto sax, soprano sax (#2, 4, 5, 8)
Kohei Ando - alto sax, soprano sax (#1, 3, 4, 7, 9)
Mao Sone - trumpet (#1), piano (#6), Fender Rhodes & keys (#9)
Mamoru Ishida - piano (#2, 4, 5, 8)
Naoko Tanaka - piano (#1, 3, 7, 9)
Keisuke Furuki - bass (#2, 4, 5, 8)
Yuji Ito - bass (#1, 3, 6, 7, 9)
Hiro Kimura - drums, percussion (#3)
Released in 2021 on KINO Records as KIN-001
Japanese names: Akiha Nakashima 中島朱葉 (Nakashima Akiha) Kohei Ando 安藤康平 (Ando Kohei) Mao Sone 曽根麻央 (Sone Mao) Mamoru Ishida 石田衛 (Ishida Mamoru) Naoko Tanaka 田中菜緒子 (Tanaka Naoko) Keisuke Furuki 古木佳祐 (Furuki Keisuke) Yuji Ito 伊藤勇司 (Ito Yuji) Hiro Kimura 木村紘 (Kimura Hiro)
Related Albums
Reiko Yamamoto: The Square Pyramid (2019)
Fumika Asari: Introducin' (2020)
Hiro Kimura Quintet: Folds (2023)
Audio and Video
Album playlist on YouTube and streams on TuneCore Japan and Songlink/Odesli
Excerpt from “Updraft”, track #4 on this album: